Sacred Ground
by Midnight Wanderland
Summary: After Natsu and the others finished up their latest job they learned some interesting facts about Dragons and their Slayers from long ago. On the way back to Fairy Tail they see someone in the forest they were told not to enter and Natsu goes after them. Complete/better summary inside. Rated M for foul language and violence (rated like this for safety mostly)


I do not nor will I ever own Fairy Tail no matter how I beg and plead, they belong to Hiro Mashima, I just get to write a story with them in it and share it with all of you…

Okay this is my first Fairy Tail fanfiction I hope you like it! ~ Midnight

Sacred Ground

Summery:

After Natsu and the others finished up their latest job they learned some interesting facts about Dragons and their Slayers from long ago. On the way back to Fairy Tail they see someone in the forest they were told not to enter and Natsu goes after them. Who is this person? What is going on? Does any of this have something to do with the Dragons? What could be in store for the mages of Fairy Tail this time? Read and find out… NatsuXLucy, GajeelxLevy, ErzaXJallel, GrayXJuvia, LaxusXOC

Chapter 1

Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Pantherlily, Happy and Carla were on their way back to Fairy Tail as they had just finished a job in a town called Glen Rose. It had originally just been a request for just Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy but when Master Makarov saw it was to take out both monsters and a Dark Guild he sent the others with them not wanting anything to go wrong and many innocent people get hurt. They finished the job in record time, of course they destroyed half the town in the process, but the townspeople didn't seem to have a problem with the destruction of the city they were just happy that the monsters and dark wizards were gone no matter what had happened to their city.

When Lucy and Wendy had been apologizing for the heavy destruction the mayor had told them, "Do not worry my dears, we are a strong lot and can rebuild our town with no problem." He was older and had a kind smile as he continued looking out at the half destroyed town, "Things such as buildings can be rebuilt or other material things can be replaced but what you all have done to create a safer home for us all is something that can never be fully repaid. You give us peace of mind for our children, who can now play outside once again without fear of being killed either by a dark wizard or a monster. For all that you have done we thank you." The mayor and all the townspeople who were gathered there bowed to the Fairy Tail wizards. The wizards were shocked, this was the first time they have ever been thanked by living people for the destruction of their town and they weren't being yelled at for their destructiveness. All the wizards still too shocked to talk only just nodded their heads.

As they were about to leave the mayor came up to Wendy and placed his hand on her shoulder to get her attention. When she looked up with questioning eyes the old man asked, "Are you perhaps originally from this area?" Wendy looked at the man in confusion.

"I'm sorry but I don't believe so," replied Wendy. The old man's eyes dimmed the slightest but he still had a smile on his kind old face. "Why do you ask?"

"There was a woman here over twenty years ago who had the same coloring as you," he said as he patted the girl's dark blue locks. "She protected this village for ages and suddenly she died. No one knows what truly happened. There was only a grave with her name on it when many of us went to check on her for we hadn't seen or heard from her in over a year. She at least checked in once a year." The old man's story caught the attention of all the wizards as they became more and more entrapped in the old man's tale. "She lived in the forbidden forest," he was pointing toward the tree-lined edge of the road. "She always told us to never enter there, that it was sacred ground for her people and we respected that and only broke that promise once when we went to look for her. All villages in this area avoid the insides of the forest, some out of respect of past protectors who asked for the villagers to never enter and others out of fear. That's why all the roads go around it and never through it."

"So is it faster to go through?" asked Natsu enthusiastically.

"I suppose, but please respect us and not try and find a short cut through the forest, please," the old man pleaded with the Fire Dragon Slayer. Upon seeing the plea in the old man's eyes and when he looked around Natsu noticed it was in the eyes of all the villagers, he nodded his head. He heard Gajeel snort in the background and mutter something like "idiot flame-for-brains"; when he heard this he turned sharply toward the Iron Dragon Slayer. "You wanna go?" he challenged. Gajeel straightened away from the tree he had been leaning on and said, "Bring it."

However before they could start Erza made them take a dirt nap and left them lying where they fell as the others finished gathering their things to leave. They had a several days walk to the nearest train station and they needed to get started on it if they wanted to be back in Magnolia in a week.

"Excuse me," asked Lucy as she approached the mayor.

"Yes my dear?"

"I was just wondering why it was that you chose to have Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy to work this job."

"Because they're Dragon Slayers." His answer caught everyone by surprise.

"Seriously that's why?" asked Grey incredulously. "Why'd you want Dragon Slayers?"

"Remember the woman I spoke of earlier and her people," the wizards nodded their heads. "They were Dragon Slayers." Gajeel and Natsu were awake at this point and their eyes bugged out when they heard the old man. "Really?!" all three Dragon Slayers yelled at once, astonished that slayers once inhabited this area. The old man nodded his head at their question.

"Most villages around this area were the territories of slayers from ages ago and they protected their territories and those who resided within their borders. So the people out here are not trusting of other type of wizards other than Dragon Slayers and now," he said as he gesturing to the rest of the Fairy Tail wizards, "those they consider comrades as well."

As the old man finished his last goodbyes with the Fairy Tail wizards, Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy's heads were spinning with this new information about their heritage.

_Why did Grandeeney never tell me about this?_ Wendy thought to herself as they all started down the path. The bluenette head was racing trying to comprehend what she had just learned. _And who was this slayer that looked like me?_

_That old bastard_, thought Gajeel as he kicked a rock out of his path. _Why did he never tell me that Dragon Slayers had sacred land? If I had known I never would have gone to Phantom Lord, and I never would have hurt __**her**__,_ he inwardly cringed at the memory of hurting the little bookworm mage and her two idiot followers. _But then again I never would have even met her or Lily for that matter, still why didn't he tell me?_

_Dad,_ Natsu thought as he looked into the forest. _Is that where you are? Is this where you've been for fourteen years?_

The others were silent as they walked; no one said a thing as they continued down the path. _This has got to be hard on them_, thought Lucy as she watched Natsu. _They each have been looking for their parents/Dragon for seven years before we were all sealed on Tenrou for another seven years. And then to find out that there was sacred ground for Dragon Slayers that they were never told about… That has to hurt._ Lucy looked to her other companions and noticed concerned looks on the faces of the Exceeds who were with their partners; Happy was sitting on Natsu's head and looking down on him with a worried expression, Pantherlily was situated on Gajeel's shoulder and though he didn't overtly show his worry you could still see the worry in his eyes as he looked at his partner, now as for Carla, she was walking next to Wendy looking up at the young girl in great worry. Lucy even noticed that Erza and Gray were looking a little worried.

_I hope we make it home okay_, Lucy thought as the silence stretched out.

0o0o0o0o0o

The silence had stretched out until they made camp that night and that's when the fighting started. Gajeel, Natsu and Gray were arguing over how to set up the camp and what to catch for food to who had first watch. Lucy and Wendy just sat and watched as the boys had it out until Erza knocked some sense into them by way of her fist to their heads and then she took over.

Natsu was to get the fire started, Gajeel would set up camp and Gray would take Lucy, Wendy and the Exceeds to go find food. Luckily the rest of the night was uneventful. There was plenty of fish that had been in a near by river for everyone to eat and even though the guys ended up fighting at least three more times before they finally calmed down they hadn't destroyed the camp so the girls were happy.

Erza had set up the watch schedule; she would have first watch and would be replaced by Gray and Gajeel would take over for Gray and the last shift was Natsu's. They had pissed off a lot of people for this job and didn't want to take any chances. The shifts really didn't matter though. Neither of the older Dragon Slayers could sleep, so they finally just told Erza and Gray to go to sleep, that they wouldn't be getting any sleep anytime soon.

Neither Slayer talked during the whole night, now for Gajeel that wasn't too strange but for chatter box Natsu it was unheard of and even Gajeel was starting to get worried about the flame-brained idiot. As the sun rose a fog rolled into their camp. At first they were afraid that the fog was some how magical but it wasn't it was just a normal fog. They all had breakfast in silence again. _Okay this silence was getting creepy,_ thought Lucy. _I mean if it was just Gajeel I could understand but Natsu just doesn't shut up not even when he sleeps. I mean he even talks in his sleep._ Lucy was starting to panic internally at her friend's silence. Again the silence continued as they broke down camp and were packing up when Lucy noticed a little girl staring at them from the other side of the road, the forest side.

"Hey," she said startling the others who looked toward where she was looking. "You shouldn't be over there. No one is allowed back in there. Why don't you come back over here?" Lucy reached her hand out toward the little girl who was now half hidden behind a tree. From what little Lucy could see the little girl was very beautiful for a child. Her long midnight blue hair was trailing on the forest floor which made her pale skin stand out along with her dark Aquamarine colored eyes which even at the distance everyone was they could tell the young girl's eye color, they were that vivid. She was dressed very simply in an ivory dress that hit the girl just around her knees and she had no shoes.

"Do you think she's lost," asked Erza as she lowered herself to the level that Lucy had.

"I don't know, but I don't think so," replied Lucy. Just then the little girls eyes moved around looking at everyone and when her eyes landed on Natsu they stopped. She looked at him and then blinked once as a smile spread across her face as she turned back toward the forest and disappeared back into the dark depths. Lucy was looking at the now empty spot confused when Natsu was suddenly off like a shot, running after the little girl into the forbidden forest.

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Please read and review. I love to read your reviews they give me the drive to hopefully get updates out faster. ~Midnight


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